The-Swain's News

Man, another Halloween already? That means I'm back to work on yet another Blockhead Ghostmas episode, even though it feels like I only just finished the last one. If you've checked out The Super Flash Bros' game "Detective Grimoire", you might recognize the Coils & Co. fairground in which this episode will be set. YOU JUST MIGHT.

Anyway, thought I'd get you guys prepped with a layout panel from the number one guy's latest episode. Where has that Weevil gotten off to, anyway? I guess we'll find out, so stay tuned.

I thought I'd share my submission to the Staff Style Portrait topic in the BBS. Why don't you go on over there and have a look, maybe even contribute something, for christ's sake. Stop gawking and do something with your life (this is a great time and place to start). Tomorrows-Nobody, Krinkels, Poxpower and I have all contributed. WILL YOU BE NEXT?!

Anyway, below you will see me doing what I do best: anything involving beer. Full size and full framed version can be found here. That's my nice way of telling you to go look at it.

I was thinking about drawing another one of someone else here on NG. Any suggestions? (Note - I realize how gay it is that this same image appears on my profile three times at the moment, but oh well)

Ok, so I recently said to someone that it feels to me like I want the world. I want to get paid for doing what I do now with my free time. You know, animate.

Is that fair? I feel like a jackass for even assuming it.

I could easily get paid for doing work in Flash in general, which is, well, what I do now. But what I create isn't interesting to me. It's all web design stuff. It's not my own work, or at least, it won't be MINE when I'm finished with it. I mean, I animate for you suckas. I do it because I want to entertain others, so it's not THAT selfish of me to try to steer myself in that direction, right? Or should I stop whining to myself, to others, and to poor mama and papa Swain who are sick of my bellyaching, and just GET A JOB [hippie]? But then what happens when I can only animate a new cartoon once every five months?

Ugh, I miss the freedom of my scholastic days. Kids, if you're going to college now and have even the littlest time to animate, then USE IT. No, now. Don't make me come over there.

After receiving my Angry Faic shirt some time ago, I was actually happier than I looked. See below for an example.

The reason I bring it up is because I feel now like I looked then. I am ambivalent about my next project. My ambivalence stems not from the nature of the project, but my unwillingness to commit to one single project when there's so much I know I could or should be doing instead. Whatever I begin is what I will be bound to for the remainder of the year, most likely, so I'd hate to make the wrong decision. Blockhead already sucks up so much time as it is!

Haha, then there's the trouble of if it sucks. I'll give anything my absolute dedication, but that doesn't make it an instant win. I'm grateful at least that the NG community will give anything I do a chance, which is all I ask.

So, what should it be? Character development in a dark world full of rich, villainous characters? Combat in an action environment? I'm not a one trick pony, but I'm certainly an indecisive one. P.S.: I'm not a pony.

I'm working to bring you guys another Blockhead episode before Comic Con, maybe even the last for a little while. Blockhead will definitely be back for Halloween, but there are other projects I want to bring to you guys, and not all of them are gonna be comedy!

The first of my upcoming works is Racist Vampires, which already exists as a few episodes of a webcomic over on my site. No, they're not actually racist (except to mortals, at which point I admit HELL YES THEY'RE RACIST). This series is centered around the dark comedy of a vampire sitcom, of sorts.

The second is Starkston Crusade, a superhero-oriented cartoon based mostly around a single overarching plot, character development, and awesome action. This series has been my reason for learning Flash since the beginning, back when Blockhead was meant only to be practice. However, I have never started the project because it is an intimidating one-man venture. I might begin the series on my own and petition for help from the Flash artist community afterward, but we'll see how it pans out.

There will be others to follow, including a game I've had planned out that I need a bit of free time to produce. More on that later.

Well, that's what's big in The Swain's world! Unless the planets align, I should be visiting Comic Con on the Saturday and Sunday of the event, which falls on the 28th and 29th of July - you might see me hanging around the Newgrounds booth at some point!